Month: August 2016

I discovered a friend wrote the words and music for this song and every time I would hear this music I would be taken to the hills of Scotland.

It is 3 years ago next month I went to Scotland to visit family before this it had been a 5year stint of not having been to Scotland. It was wonderful that I got to go back to my homeland and catch up with family and see my younger brothers wife for the first time and they had just had their first child a week before we arrived. I also got to meet an old friend and saw all of her clan. There was an added bonus her sister was visiting, she was the one who wrote and arranged the song I so love, what a blessing, to sit in my friend’s kitchen as her sister sang the song to me live, that I love so much.

I have been revisiting the subject of Celtic Christian Spirituality ever since my visit and have created a website with is a Treasury of things I find on the subject of Celtic and contemplative, etc. This is an ongoing study, that I’m adding to this site on a frequent basis for any who are interested. This can me found at the following website: https://markscelticchristianspirituality.com/resources/

The subject of Celtic Christian Spirituality has been a journey that has intrigued me for a number of years. There has been a restoration and re-awaking of the subject and a desire that is being fanned into flame on a regular basis, and it’s a process of discovery that I love, being informed and inspired from new or old sources. to learn from the ancestors of our faith, and trailblazers of the current day.

In tracing our heritage, linage, and ancestry, it is a process of discovery, discovering where it will take you, the thrill of a destination unknown at times. Most of the time this is the case in the journey of life. We have to not be afraid in the uncertainty of the unknown. We have to view and see at times from a different perspective, taking a leap of faith and learning how to fly. We are being allowed to soar, like that eagle in the wind currents, or like the description of the Holy Spirit described as the wind. “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” John 3: 8 of the bible.

At times I give a taste of my ongoing writing project, in my Blog, of Tobar’s journey and search for significance, writing is fun and daunting, but gives a good description of the unfolding of my book and writing style. I cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going, elusive like memories, never sure when something will trigger something from your memory banks. Do I want to be blown along by the Spirit, destination unknown?

The Holy Spirit allows the sacred and also the good, bad, and ugly, to resurface. Will I, will you, allow the spiritual director, the Guide to take control of our lives, inspiring and motivating us to go on forward, bring things to our remembrance, so as to enhance our lives.

At times it is a joy, other times so painful the process of the shaping and forming of our lives, ultimately toward being better people. We also have to be patient and persistent remembering a delay is not a denial from God. And to always be remembering how far you’ve come, I’ve come, we have come. Not just focusing on how far we have still to go, but continue in hopeful perseverance.

Inspiration is the key to keep you motivated, start where you are in spirit, the connecting point that motivates and invigorates you to continue, and take that one necessary little strep. It is just getting started that creates the momentum, this applies to any area of life.

Scribble what you know in a note book, speak to a relative, start a search using the web, read a book on the subject, not many people can go to Scotland the land of my roots, for a vacation, retreat, genealogy search, to begin the spiritual or ancestral trail.

The beginning may have to be in the place of research and a little imagination. If you can find the financial means many go to the land of their origin to seek their ancestral roots because of immigration from the UK and Europe, and being scattered around the globe, resulting in descendants from long ago, and far afield.

We long to capture the spirit of our forebears or just get captivated by the Scottish heritage in my case, the culture of poetry, history, music and innovation, those who have shaped the world and our lives without us even knowing.

Scotland the brave Land of my high endeavor, land of the shinning river, land of my heart forever, Scotland the brave.

The next place I would like to visit for inspiration is the Isle of Sky, to make me feel mare (more) at hame (home) to visit bonnie (pretty) Scotland to see the Ben = mountain peaks the drizzle = that rain like mist creating that gloomy mist that can last for days, giving some folk that grumpy mood. But without it we would not have the Nevis = the mountains covered by fog, and giving us the dreik = cold damp weather condition, once it has past making us appreciate the sun so much more.

The heather covered hills where men and women from generation to generation have survived on the crofts, with the salmon filled rivers, surviving of the land, barley, wheat. Oats, potatoes and rye, also their faith, and trust in a God that will provide their needs to sustain them. Knowing that man cannot survive on bread alone but by every word from the mouth of God, the word of illumination, a word of God at every season of life, in those life stages. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet a lamp unto my life, the revelation that brought about one of the national flags the saltire or St Andrew’s flag, in a vision or dream.

God is the guide by the Holy Spirits leading, we have to always remind yourself that the Lord is our shepherd and we are the sheep of his fold. Taking comfort of the Trinity’s leading and going ahead of us each step of the way. Showing step by step, stage by stage, process and progress, we like a child, have to trust and put our hand in the Lords. To be obedient to the leading of God, for we have a limited sense of knowledge to know where we are in our life at times and to be honest are just guessing where we have to go next, destination unknown at times.

We need the Guides leading, and the Holy Spirit does at times give us inner pressure, to gently push us forward, and pushing us to our knees to get into a time of intense prayer so as to fulfill the purpose of God. Like a shepherd in the natural driving the sheep to the sheep pen and safety from harm, the Holy Spirit drives us if we are not yielding to God’s desire. Allowing to enter unrest, so we know the resulting peace that surpasses all understanding, a witness of God when we have gone the right way forward in the right direction.

We have to give God time, to lead and guide us to receive the insight for living, by listening too, and experiencing the gentle breeze and a touch of the wind of the Holy Spirit. It’s being sensitive not to miss his moving in your life, we could miss out on so much, of what the sovereign God has planned for our life.

Take a deep breath, and breathe in the possibilities, exhale the negativity and doubts, breath in life, creativity, having a confidence that God is for you, having a confidence in your God who wants your best, desiring the best for you and me from the very beginning of time, we have to dive into the plan, being inspired, and allowing the unfolding of this mystery, a passion, becoming revelation and reality, getting caught in the breeze, blown along by the breeze of the warm spring air, caught in the moment when God gets your attention.

These thoughts are my musing about my book project. The Anam Cara, A Celtic Tale of Tobar’s Transformation. It was inspired by a wonderful book by John O’Donohue, Anam Cara. This was the seed sown, beginning the journey of discovering more on this subject.

The following is thought insights I’m trying to bring to the surface in people’s lives, of the benefit of an AnamCara. Just making a conscious effort to be open to the leading of God, to find a friend to bear your soul.

Begin today, choose to reinvent yourself and bring benefit into your life by making an Anam Cara, (Gaelic for a Soul – Friend) Someone who encourages a closer walk of relationship with God, who helps you to see your life role. To ultimately be walking in kingdom values. An Anam Cara is a person who is encouraging you to have the confidence that the Monarch of the Universe is watching your back.

Experience: Remember this book is not a textbook, but an experience, a journey to encounter the Monarch of the Universe giving life tips along the way, being alongside Tobar a fellow pilgrim and student. This book is fictitious but laced with spiritual truths to aid any who are wandering and aimless in life. We all need to receive support, through the turbulent time in our lives, to be given direction. This book: The Anam Cara, A Celtic Tale of Tobar’s Transformation. Maybe the book to give you solace and direction, being taught in the classroom of Tobar’s life with his Anam Cara named Issidore, learning how to put in place tools to know the guidance of the Monarch of the Universe. Also tools of how to choose your own soul-friend this will have a reciprocal benefit for both the Anam Cara and Anam Caree. (Mentee)

Epidemic problems: The Anam Cara, this is an ancient practice, I feel a treasure was forgotten, if implemented will overcome a number of problems of epidemic proportions. What are they, you may ask? The first is loneliness! We are in a society that is very independent, individualistic, and superficial, we may have friends but they do not share the deep soul issues, and the burdens of their hearts.

Without a Vision: The next issue, having an Anam Cara could confront is the aimlessness in people lives.We all need someone to go too, having a sounding board in your life, and an Anam Cara, can aid in life vision and aspirations, sharing the longings of the heart, can be the first stage toward attaining your dreams, and toward choosing your vocation that has been placed within you from the beginning of time.

Nurture growth: Helping your gifts to come to the surface, this is not just benefiting you, but the whole world. To further establish the kingdom for The Monarch of the Universe. Having a bigger picture, expecting to be matured and fully grown to bear fruit that is beneficial for all.

What will you do to get a chance to reinvent yourself?

Let God, or The Monarch of the Universe as referred to in my book,The Anam Cara, A Celtic Tale of Tobar’s Transformation, have control of your life. The Monarch of the Universe can use you in the service of righteousness, peace, and Joy in the Holy Spirit. Secondly, if you choose to buy this book,when it is published, wonderful, but ultimately it is allowing the Guide to help you discern the needed changes in your life, this is what allows for the transformation, aided by your Anam Cara.

Imagine: Paint a picture in your mind of you entering into all that the Monarch of the Universe has for you, you fulfilling your role for life. Picture yourself entering into this dream, all because you have learned, to hear, and listen to instruction through direction from the Monarch of the Universe. Because you have been taught by your Anam Cara, who has given a word in season that helped with the discerning process. We all need friends to help us in the journey of life and we also have a friendship that can be found in The Monarch of the Universe, who is for us and not against us. Let us press on forward knowing that the Monarch of the Universe is more for us that we are at times for ourselves.

Service: Make a difference by allowing The Monarch of the Universe to make a difference in your life. Your transformation will allow you to help others in their transformation and restoration experience. You know you want to reinvent yourself, who better to help you do this than the God of the Universe, the Monarch of the Universe, who created everything and is at work in your life even as we speak, right now.

The Seer Anam Cara: This is an ancient practice, going back centuries to the time of King Saul, in the Bible where there are others figures, but this is the one I would have us focus on from the Old Testament accounts. 1 Samuel 9: 1- 10, 19 NIV:

“I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart.

The people sought the advice of the Seer, to get insight regarding a troubling life issue.

You can be that sought after sage / seer, who can give a word in season given from the Monarch of the Universe, thus being a conduit with a message from heaven.

This is some of the thinking and ideas for my book project that I’m slowly working on, has been over several years. The book grows as I grow.

Touched By Many: Celtic Christian Spirituality is like a bolt of tartan that has been woven together over a long period of time, centuries. There have been may hands that tended to the sheep, protecting the heard from the wolves, protecting life, allowing the fleece to grow, passing through many hands. That touch is necessary, touched by people touched by God, being prepared, made ready for the wool to be made, into a garment, each strand playing its part so that it is recognizable as tartan. It has many color pallets this fabric, but when seen by those in the know, it is recognizable as tartan or plaid as it is referred to in the USA. The clans of old would have seen the tartan and the color variety, and recognized the clan, a lot like our logos of today enabling us to recognize the company. The tartan of the clans or tribes, would be recognizable and with it the clan name and its leader and they would have known the traits of that community, its unique color and texture plus their beliefs and virtues, and the stories and tales of the woe and hardship, their kinship, and their loyalty, and if they are a friend or a foe.

Historic In Nature: After the fall of Rome and their withdrawal around AD 410, this left a vacuum that needed to be filled, socially, politically, and religiously, and the Celtic people without a hiccup would have continued with their belief structure having not fully conformed to the Roman rule.It was viewed as being imported into their land for the sole purpose of business and comers. The ordinary indigenous people would not have fully embraced the Roman beliefs and customs. They would have maintained their own beliefs and faith and the freedom that came with this. When Rome left, the info structure crumbled with their departure, making the roads what the Romans are famous, over a period of time un-kept and no longer maintained or passable with ease. These byways would have still been used and still a route of travel but more difficult with the passing of time and deterioration occurred, and the cities to go to for trade were gone. Out of the chaos, God allowed light through people, those who were being the hands and feet of Christ, people finding friendship, love, care, compassion, stability, and some order through the Christians that remained, who were making a difference in this dark period of time.

The Importance Of Community: This is where the Christian community begins to have its place in society, a place of safety from thieves, and those who want to take advantage of the weak. The Christian settlements / communities would be like a B&B or a Rest stop or Service station of refueling and healing for the weary traveler. The Christian communities would be lead by men and women of faith, having a heart for God and for people, providing a place of welcome and hospitality for the guest, also a haven or sanctuary. However a lot of the communities would gravitate to the coast, where trade and fishing would be the wealth of the community and travel by water would be the next mode of public transport, making it easier to travel.

It is easy to drift away from our center, our reason for doing something, our vision.

Friendship The Importance Of This: I was having a conversation with a friend the other day, they were asking what I do other than work part time at the Library, and the conversation swung around to my interest in Celtic Christian Spirituality and my website development. This friend did not know anything about the subject of Celtic Christian Spirituality (CCS), and she noticed how I switched between CCS and Celtic Spirituality (CS). This is an important point she brought to my attention. Christ has to be at the center of Celtic Christian Spirituality or it would become like any other Spirituality. It is good to see the need for the spiritual in our lives, but not at the expense of leaving Christ behind, and distracted by the disciplines or tools. I realize it is so easy to forfeit the reason for spiritual reading and research, yes gain knowledge, but it is to be transformed into the likeness of Christ. I fall into the danger of acquiring information but not receiving the transformation. “Blessed are those who recognize their spiritual need, for the kingdom of God belongs to them! A verse from Matthew 5: 1-10 this is a paraphrase. We do need to have a yearning for God, but not at the cost of being so driven that we are not resting in God, the one who is the sustainer, the one who brings restoration and transformation, with the aid of the Holy Spirit who guides us into truth, the truth we need right now, in this very moment, becoming the new creation, this is being worked out in our lives. Christ is necessary, for without Christ at the center it could be influenced by many other beliefs and philosophies. Thus, why it is important to have an Anam Cara, a soul friend who walks by your side, yes a friend who knows you, warts and all. Can this be the Holy Spirit also, who leads into truth, and know every aspect of your life?

Christ Is Supreme “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,[e]16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.[f]
So he is first in everything.19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

21 This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. 22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.

23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it.

Colossians 1:15-23 New Living Translation

Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary things: We are to proclaim Christ, and learn from the people who walked the sacred way before us, they are called saints now. But where ordinary people like you and me, who were godly, devoted to following God, seekers of Jesus, very devoted to drawing nearer to Jesus, taking time out to be alone with God, and enjoying God and creation. There was an openness to the Holy Spirit, or the Wild Goose, the symbol of the Holy Spirit in CCS, who is free to fly and do the will of the Father, to help the community of believers see the supernatural, to have an encounter with the divine.

Make Time For Quiet Moments, As God Whispers And The World Is Loud.

God is waiting for you, will we take the time to give to our spiritual needs and the needs of God, by drawing near to God. If we do not do this, we are saying we are in control of our lives and don’t need God. We all need God if we realize this or not, God is the one who breathed life into us from the beginning, and wants to breathe into us, a new life again, each moment of each day. At times we may think it or not, we act as if God is ancient history, best left to the past and not to be unearthed, but left to the archeologists. Ancient paths are not ancient history to be forgotten. Let’s read and discover what the Lord wants to say to us through scripture, a love letter to us.

Jeremiah 6:16New International Version (NIV)

This is what the Lord says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look;

ask for the ancient paths,

ask where the good way is, and walk in it,

and you will find rest for your souls.

But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

Why do we not want to walk in a good way, and find rest for our souls?

Do we have a longing for stillness, to find rest from the business of life?

There has to be a desire, a longing for continual restoration and renewal of our heart, and the realization that we cannot do this work without the aid of God.

Psalm 25: 5b “On you, I wait all the day”

Jeremiah 29:11-13New Living Translation (NLT)

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.12 In those days when you pray, I will listen.13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

We are so busy serving our God that we are too busy to receive from God. We need to pay more attention to what Jesus wants to say to us and less attention to what we can do for him. It’s all about GRACE. My Blogs and this website are designed to aid you in discovering the tools that are available, to help toward the goal of drawing nearer to God through Celtic Christian Spirituality. In the next weeks and months, I will continue to address this subject.

I have been reading a book by Martin Wallace, The Celtic Resource Book, I highly recommend this book, so full of insights and ideas. I was encouraged by his suggestion to take any normal action of the day like working, reading, writing, washing dishes, or in the more agrarian time of old, milking the cow, digging peat, taking in the harvest, all as an act of worship and prayer involving and invoking the Trinity in our everyday activities of life. Not just leaving the time of pray for solely for Sunday morning church or a midweek meeting but during every moment of our ordinary everyday activities.

Follow Martin Wallace’s model or reverse it like below, it is about personalizing and invoking the activity of the Trinity, welcoming them, and inviting the blessed Three in the moment, and make the prayer your own.

In the name of the Father…

In the name of the Son…

In the name of the Holy Spirit…

I also find helpful and therapeutic the drawing of the symbol of the Trinity, seeing the symbol reminds me of how interdependent they are, and how we need to be daily incorporating the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit into our daily lives. If you believe it of not, they are interested and are desiring us to be co-creators with them. We have been invited to be part of their community, so we are not alone. God is with us in every area of our lives and desires to be with us. If we but allow them in, by giving the invitation, and welcome them to be with us, in all aspects of our lives.

Here is a step by step guide on how to draw the trinity symbol taken from my book.

Take a moment to try drawing the Trinity symbol and before you know it, this symbol will become incorporated into the doodling habits of your life, and share with your friends. Even surprise them with your drawing skill, as it looks more complex than it really is. Be blessed, and mindful of the Trinity.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” ~2 Corinthians 13:13 (NRSV)

The Cross

The Celtic Cross is also named a wheel Cross and always reminds me to think who is steering my life God or Me?

Prayer

WL: Join with me in this opening prayer

The great God of the wind and sea is with me. In the face of unstoppable tides and unpredictable squalls, I can open my arms and ride God’s power wherever it leads, trusting that God will provide for all my needs along the journey.